High in the Trees
by WhosSeenJezebel
Summary: With no one left, we took to the trees. They protect us. They shelter us. We're not sure if we're ready to share.
1. The Blessings Are Blessed

The mountains were quiet and cold the morning the visitors came. I was was sleeping in my hammock when I heard the guttural moans and screams of our neighbors. Uncle Victor went first. He was running over to help the Anderson children from a hoard, but was attacked in the process.

I stayed in my hammock, high in the trees and watched as they destroyed my uncle. My cousins and my best friends came next. I was beginning to lose hope, when I saw my sister emerge from her bedroom window on the top floor of our house. She was carrying dad's beloved Winchester in one hand, and his hunting knife in the other. She immediately looked up and found me in my usual spot. Her smile was shaky. Her smile seemed out of place.

There were many branches that led from the house to my hammock. Ida made it there in less than ten minutes. When she got to my hammock, we embraced. We never embraced. Then we sat side-by-side and watched as more and more visitors piled into our home.

We didn't cry. The Blessings don't cry. The Blessings are blessed.

The Blessings were blessed.


	2. Twelve People in Our Woods

A/N: First off, this is my first Walking Dead Fanfiction. And I honestly haven't read a ton so far, but I plan to now that I have more free time. This story won't be TOTALLY AU, but there are many elements I've changed for the sake of writing.

The Blessing Sisters are of my own creation. Eleanor is a bit different. She'll be explained more later on when I switch to Ida's POV.

Please enjoy, and maybe review?

/

All of the visitors had either piled into the house or wandered off. I looked up at Ida, who had long since fallen asleep. She was stunning, my big sister. All of the men in our town wanted to date her. She was a child of the sun with auburn hair and chocolate eyes. Her skin was many shades darker than my own, and she was much taller and thinner too.

But she feared men, as did I. We had Sampson to thank for that.

I looked to the ground. It was covered in blood and guts.

What a beautiful morning.

/

"We need to go for help." Ida was braiding my hair back away from my face. She had done it for me that morning, but I'd taken it down the second I climbed my tree.

I peered towards the ground below. Our visitors seemed to have officially left.

"They're gone Ellie-Bear. We need to get help." She insisted, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the hammock to stand on a large branch below us. "They got Annie and Frances. They ate them. A-ate them." She seemed to just be realizing what had happened hours before.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her close. She was always a fragile one Ida Belle. But she held her own.

We began to descend the tree one branch or knot at a time. "Ellie, Sam is dead." She told me when we got to the bottom, grasping my arms. "They...they bit him in the throat. He's gone."

I nodded solemnly. Smiling would have been rude. Smiling would have been cruel. I couldn't be like him. I simply took her hand and led her away from our home.

/

What had been months, felt like days. We sat on the front porch, high in the trees, looking at the mountains that surrounded us. We had visitors every now and then. People from the town, wandered deep into the woods. Their skin rotting and their eyes milky and filled with hunger.

At first we hesitated to kill them.

While we were building the treehouse, we were vulnerable and we did what we had to do. I stabbed a wooden spear into the stomach of my second grade teacher one brisk morning, and when we realized that didn't do the trick, I stabbed her again in the head.

Ida killed Bobby Field, the only boy she ever let kiss her. She shot him point blank when her tried to bite the back of my neck.

I really do have the best sister.

When our new home was finished, we stayed up there as much as possible. We had a fireplace, we had a bucket that we lowered into the stream for water, and we had traps set up for squirrels, rabbits, and the occasional deer. We only wandered down to get weapons and vegetation. Sometimes we'd go fishing, but it wasn't always necessary. We had stocked up.

Ida was normally pristine and well put together and now she's just as muddy as me. It seems to make us closer.

"Remember when I tried to be a vegetarian a few years ago?" Ida murmured as she chewed on a grilled squirrel leg. "I was terrified at the idea of an animal dying just to put food in my belly." I smiled up at her and took a sip of my water.

"Now I'll kill anything if it means I can get two bites out of it. One for me and one for you." She winked and turned back to watch the sunset.

It was so quiet. I used to bask in silence, but now it was a terrifying notion.

Were we the only ones left? What would happen when we ran out of food? What if there was a drought?

I rested my chin on the railing and stared at the ground. At least the leaves were still changing. I don't know what I would have done had we lost the orange and red of the fall. I sat in the trees to enjoy the colors. To be one with them. Now I didn't have a choice. Neither of us did.

/

"We don't even know what direction we're headed!"

I heard the voice when I was collecting firewood. I looked up to see Ida on the upper deck of the house. She was retying the rope on the pulley system to bring the wood up. She must not have heard. I started to flee towards the stepladder. But then I thought better of it.

These were people. Normal people. They were talking. Not groaning.

I dashed into the woods. Going towards the voices.

"Tyreese! We need to go back towards the road!" A woman was practically shouting. I could feel them getting closer. There were a lot of them.

I ran over to a large boulder formation in a clearing and scaled to the top of it. I had my spear poised and ready, just in case there was funny business. As I laid myself flat on top of the rock, I saw a large group come into the clearing.

Four women. Six Men. A boy. A Baby. Twelve people in our woods.

"They're right on our tails!" A scruffy man with a crossbow shouted, shooting at one of the visitors. There were about twenty of them, weaving in and out of trees, their jaws slack and their boney arms reaching out for their prey.

The people seemed to be doing okay killing them off. Luckily Ida and I haven't had to deal with so many at once. I tried to get to a point where I could help them, but I didn't want to leave my spot and they were too far.

When one of the men got closer, with a creature on his heels, I took my moment. My spear pierced through the head of the rotten man in a torn pair of overhauls. The large black man I saved looked up in surprise. I reached out my hand to pull him up onto the rock. His leg was injured, he didn't need to be fighting.

He climbed up with a bit of a struggle. I wasn't much help, given he was twice my size. "Who the hell are you?" He demanded when he was seated next to me.

I ignored him and tugged at the rope attached to my spear and pulled it out of the soft skull of the visitor. When another creature approached I killed it as well. When they all appeared to be gone, I stood up and wiped the dirt off of my hands. I turned to see the large group staring at me.

Slowly their guns, arrows, and blades raised.

What the hell?

I dropped my spear and jumped to the ground. I didn't raise my hands though. I refused to surrender to the people I saved. I turned and walked back towards the path to my house.

"Hold on!" A rough voice stopped me. I looked over my shoulder to see a thin man with a beard approaching her, his gun still raised. "What's your name." I shook my head and continued to walk.

"Hey!" The group chased after me as I broke out into a run. I clapped my hands in our secret rhythm to signal to Ida that I was coming. Clap-Clap. Clap-Clap-Clap. Clap.

I could begin to see our roof, when Ida stepped from behind a tree and leveled her rifle at the men. "Stay the hell away from her!" She growled, pushing me behind her with one arm. The group stopped short, but didn't lower their weapons. "Who are you people?"

"That's none of your business." A large red headed man growled.

"I think it is! You're on our land." Ida snapped. "Now I want names!" She didn't relent. She even stepped closer to them. I saw her hesitate slightly when she saw the boy holding the baby. But she never lowered her weapon.

Finally the man in front raised his hands. "Okay. Okay." He sighed, even though his group still seemed unsure. "My name is Rick Grimes, this is my son Carl, and my daughter Judith."

We nodded at each person as he named them off.

"I'm Ida Blessing, this is my sister Eleanor." Ida gestured to me.

"Are you alone?" Rick growled.

"It's just us." My sister swallowed. "Everyone...they all..." She lowered her gun so she could wipe her eyes. Sweet Ida, sensitive Ida. She couldn't help but cry. She had such an attachment to those pointless people we'd lived with.

"How many walkers have you killed?" The boy demanded.

"What's a walker?" Ida seemed too dazed to reply.

"Those things!" Daryl, the man with the bow, practically shouted, pointing at the clearing. I tugged on her sleeve and gave her our special sign for Visitors.

"You mean those creatures?" She whispered. When they nodded, she tried to calculate. "A few dozen I suppose."

"How many people?" Rick continued.

"Why are we being interrogated on our own lawn?"

"Just answer him." The asian man with kind eyes implored.

"Not including those...walkers...None." Ida shook her head. "You're the first actual people we've seen in nearly a year. We thought there was no one left."

"That's practically true." Rick admitted. "Do you have a camp around here?"

I grasped my sister's arm at the idea of allowing these strangers near our home. She seemed to understand my apprehension and shook her head. "I think it would be best if we went our separate ways now." She told them, slinging her gun over her shoulder and leading me away.

"Please." Carol, the short hair woman called after them. "We're so tired. We just need a safe place for the night. We're good people, please."

"You were chasing my sister with guns." Ida reminded them.

"We've had to limit who we trust." Carol shrugged. "We have seen...a lot of betrayal lately." I began to pity the group. I nudged my sister again and gave her a small nod.

Ida sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Fine." She sighed, beckoning for them to follow us as we made our way home. "Just, don't point your damn weapons at us anymore." She put her arm around me as we walked.

When we got there, I could here their party gasp. I turned to see them staring at our home in awe.

"This is your home?" Maggie, the pretty one, asked in disbelief. I shrugged my reply and climbed the rope ladder.

It seems that this might be the first three-story treehouse they've encountered.


	3. Appalachians and the Apocalypse

A/N: Due to the multitude of characters, I didn't include Rosita or Tara in this story. I'm sorry if that offends anybody attached to those particular characters, I just wanted to keep it a little more simple. And as of episode 2, I guess I excluded Gabriel as well.

They are still traveling to D.C. They're just detouring!

Enjoy!

Eleanor isn't one for words. Even as a child she was quiet and pensive. She knew how to speak-she had the who dictionary memorized by the time she was six. She just decided that most people weren't worth talking to.

I never needed to hear her voice to know what she was saying. For what she lacks in sound, she makes up for with her emotions. I always knew when she was happy or hungry or scared without her saying a word.

So it didn't take a rocket scientist to know she was nervous as hell as we led a dozen strangers up the ladder to our home. When we got to the top, I smiled at her reassuringly. She played it tough, but sometimes she needed to be reminded that I'd take care of her.

"Please leave your weapons at the door." I requested, gesturing the curtained off area we designated for artillery as we stepped into the front door. When Rick started to protest I held up my hand. "We won't lock them up. You'll have constant access. We just prefer to leave violence at the door." I know I sound like a tree hugging activist when I say such things, and considering our dwellings, I suppose that's true. But we won't have samurai swords in our living room.

In a show of solidarity, I placed my rifle on it's designated hook and turned to go into the house. I didn't have to turn to know Ellie was watching our guests to make sure they'd follow my lead. She was as vigilant as a German Shepherd.

The kitchen and the dining room were on the first floor, as was the wrap around porch. On the second floor was our sleeping area and a loft with a shower and toilet area. The top floor was the greenhouse and fire pit. We were carpenters and farmers. We had tons of supplies from dad's lumberyard, as well as what mother nature provided.

Our newcomers seemed impressed with what came natural to us. Appalachians have always prepared for the apocalypse.

"You built this place?" Glenn's jaw dropped as he took in his surroundings. I nodded with a shrug. What was there to be excited about? This was nothing like our old house.

"We have plenty of fruits and vegetables." I told them. "Our meat supply isn't quite as ample, but we can make a decent meal out of what we have for everyone."

"We won't use up your food." Carol started to protest, but I insisted.

These people were in our care now. We'd keep them fed. We'd keep them happy. Even if it is only for a short while.

/

Eleanor napped in her hammock, on a limb far out from our bedroom window-much like she did at our old house. It used to terrify me. But now it soothed me. She was still Ellie. Our mother called her Little Monkey. I called her tree toad.

"I never thought of living in a tree." Daryl commented, sitting at a stool in the kitchen. "Not a bad setup."

"We make do with what we were taught." I murmured, as I chopped up some tomatoes. "We really didn't know how long we'd have to stay up here. But we're prepared to stay forever if we need to." I tossed the remaining peels in the compost bucket outside of the window, and pulleyed it up to the roof.

"You should make a neighborhood out of these trees." Carl joked. "We can all live here!"

"I doubt they want us polluting their woods." Rick ruffled his son's hair as he walked out towards the porch. I didn't disagree with the man.

/

I made a squirrel stew for dinner. We had flower pot freezers, so we were able to stock up on food for the winter. Since it was still somewhat warm out, I didn't see a problem with dipping into our savings to feed some wary travelers.

"So, what are these things?" I broke the silence of mealtime with a question that has been plaguing me for months. "I mean...what happened to them?"

Everyone exchanged glances, debating on who should answer. It was of no surprise when Rick spoke up. "It's a virus." He muttered an answer he seemed to be sick of.

"A virus?" Was he joking? All of this over a virus.

"We're all infected." Abraham clarified. "Death triggers the symptoms."

"Or if we're bitten." Glenn added.

"If we're bitten?" I couldn't keep the shock out of my voice. What the hell kind of virus was this? I looked to Ellie who was seated in her rocking chair.

Her eyes told me she was afraid.


	4. A First Time for Everything

I didn't like them. I pretended to sleep in my hammock while they helped Ida cook dinner. I wanted to steer clear of them as much as possible. They seemed wary of us as well. Nobody was worth trusting anymore. Except for Ida of course.

After our conversation at dinner, I liked them even less. Why did they have to be informed? Why couldn't they leave us in the dark?

"Did you go to school before all of this?" Carl was asking me as I laid sheets out on the ground for everyone to sleep on.

I shook my head and surveyed the room. We had a few extra mattress pads, but not enough for everybody, so some people would be more comfortable than others. Daryl asked politely if he could take my hammock for the night. I had to nod. He was actually kind, despite his rough exterior.

"She got her education at home." Ida explained. "The school in our town didn't exactly cater to Ellie's needs."

I glared at the boy before he could ask another question.

He needed to mind his business.

/

"I can hear to thinking Froggie." Ida whispered from behind me on our mattress. We were sharing for the night. I turned and frowned at her and her bright grin. Why did she have to be so charming? "Ready to get our peace and quiet back?"

I nodded and rolled over to face her. I wonder if she was as awkward at twenty-two as I am. I thought when I was thirteen I'd grow out of my quirks, but I started to lose hope when I reached adulthood.

"They seem like nice people." Ida was saying. "It would be nice if they stayed a while, don't you think?"

I quickly shook my head. Was she crazy? These people were no good.

"Don't you get lonely?"

I shook my head again and took her hand. She was the only person I needed. My brave and incredible sister.

/

I could see a large group of creatures from the roof. I quickly grabbed an armful of my spears and balanced hurried across the longest branch that led me right out over them.

Nine visitors for the Blessings.

"Ellie!" I heard Ida call out from the porch.

I ignored her as I hung upside down by my knees, and began to spear our visitors. They began to get agitated when they saw me, dangling like bait, but if they came too close I got them right through the skull.

I was just destroying the last one when I heard a rustling right above me. I pulled myself upright again, then looked up to see Michonne sitting on a higher branch, sword in hand. She seemed to have the same idea as me.

I gave her as kind a smile as I could muster before heading back inside.

/

"I found a map to the main road." Ida was telling Rick as she laid map out on the table. "There's an auto shop in the foothills. I'm pretty sure there's a few cars in there that still run."

Rick and Abraham studied the map as the rest of their group got their stuff together. I wanted to help them so they'd leave faster. I looked to Ida to urge her to rush them out, but stopped short when I saw the way she was looking at Abe. Was she attracted to the fire haired gorilla?

Disgusting.

"Where are you heading exactly?" She asked, looking between the two men curiously. I watched them exchange hesitant glances, debating on whether or not they should reply. Did they think were going to follow them. Because that was sure as hell never going to happen.

"To D.C." Abraham replied. "We think there's a safe place there. And Eugene thinks he can help find a cure to the virus."

"A cure." Bless Ida for pretending to be impressed. "Well, good luck with that."

/

"Will you two be okay?" Maggie asked me as we led them back to the main road. I nodded with a sniff. We're going to be fine. We were fine before they got here. We'll be fine when they leave.

"I think they can fend for themselves." Tyreese chuckled, hiking Judith up on his shoulder. "I almost wish we were hanging around a little longer! I'm still full from breakfast."

Ida smiled and looped her arm through mine as we neared the road. "We wish you all luck in your travels."

We heard the noise when we got to the opening. We had some more visitors. Excellent.

I pulled out my spear and crouched behind a tree. I looked back make sure my sister was following my lead. "Don't go to them Ellie. Let them come to you." She knew how far my listening skills went, so she gripped my arm to keep me in place.

We watched the creatures creep closer and closer to us. I could smell their rotting flesh as they began to cross out path. I was about to charge, when one of the creatures beat me to it. The former man popped out from behind a tree and grabbed my arm with gooey fingers. I quickly speared it through the head and scrambled to my feet to kill the rest.

The others had joined in by the time I made it to the main road. I could hear whacks and slices as the visitors fell around our feet. I'd killed off about twelve before I turned to see how my sister was faring.

I panicked when I saw a walker coming up behind her.

Luckily Daryl had her back. Unluckily, his arrow missed and actually landed in her back.

"No!" I felt the scream tear from my throat as I stumbled forward and killed the creature that was still heading for Ida. I knelt down beside her and checked the damage. It was lodged into the back of her shoulder. Not too drastic. Not too much damage.

Ida took a deep breath and sat up. "It's okay Ellie." She whispered grasping my hand tightly. Too tightly.

"I'm so sorry!" Daryl grunted, crouching beside us. "I never miss! I don't know what happened."

"Well there's a first time for everything." Ida giggled through the pain as Eugene and Carol examined her. "I'll be fine! Go on ahead! Don't waste daylight!"

"No way! This went right through the muscle. It's lodged in the bone." Eugene assessed. "You're gunna want help taking it out."

I did't disagree with the hick. I wasn't prepared to remove the arrow myself. I was getting sick just looking at it. The group didn't seem disappointed about abandoning their mission temporarily.

Abraham didn't hesitate before lifting Ida and trudging back towards our home. As they retreated I glared at their backs.

I knew they'd be trouble.


	5. One Apocalypse Later

I kept looking back to make sure the monkey wasn't climbing any trees in her frustration. She was there, in the back, looking like she was ready to spear Daryl. I made eye contact with her at one point and shook my head.

She begrudgingly lowered her weapon.

It wasn't the archer's fault I got caught in the crossfire. He was just acting in the moment. I got in his way.

The pain was awful though. I couldn't deny that. But I pasted on a smile and held back tears because if Ellie saw me crying, she'd shish-ka-bob every last one of them.

"Get the ladder down Froggy." I ordered with a grunt as we approached the house. Eleanor eyed the group before scaling the tree. "You guys might want to watch your backs." I warned them. They exchanged uneasy glances as the ladder dropped before us.

/

"So your sister." Abraham murmured as we waited for Glenn and Maggie to gather supplies to treat my wound. "Is she okay?" I looked out the window at the monkey who was perched on her hammock, keeping a lookout.

I shifted to sit up on the mattress. "Eleanor is special. I told him with a fond smile. "She's been like that her whole life. Quiet and brilliant but at the same time violent and antisocial. You have to take the bad with the good I suppose."

"She been to a doctor?"

"Why would she need to go to a doctor? She's healthy." I was playing dumb. Of course I knew what he meant. I've just gotten sick of this conversation. One apocalypse later and we're still discussing little Eleanor Blessing's need for a therapist. If I didn't go for it when she was ten, then I certainly wasn't going to consider when she was twenty two and carrying a concealed weapon. Besides, the lack of human race would make it difficult to find an insurance provider.

"She doesn't like us very much." Abe observed. He let the issue drop thankfully.

"No she doesn't." I agreed. "She's not generally keen on people who shoot her sister though. Don't take it personally. She's always made that a point."

"So this isn't your first time getting shot?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"When I was fifteen and Ellie was six, Gabe Muscott, a little boy from the church, shot me with his paintball gun. Right in the knee." I gestured with my uninjured arm. "Eleanor chased him down in her roller skates and knocked him into a ditch. She was half his size." I chuckled at the memory.

We were quiet until Glenn approached with a bowl of warm water. "Do you have anything we can use to numb the area?" He asked quietly. Sympathy in his kind eyes.

I shook my head and swallowed. "No. We can make ice if we had a few days, but I'm guessing that's not an option."

"Sorry, no." Maggie sighed, handing me a stick. "Just bite down on this when the time comes." I chuckled mirthlessly and nodded.

"Thank you." I could feel a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. The anticipation was making the pain worse.

Daryl sharpened his knife on a stone for a few minutes before walking over and kneeling next to me. "Can you roll over?" He requested gently. Abraham helped me comply. "I'm gunna have to cut real deep." I heard the archer sigh a he examined the area.

"Hopefully I'll just black out." I murmured into my crossed arms. Suddenly a thought occurred to me. "Eleanor! Where is she?"

"Still outside." Glenn told me. "Want me to go get her?"

"No! Get her away from here!" I sat up on my elbows. A pain shot down my arm but I ignored it. "She might kill you guys if she hears you cutting me. I know it needs to be done, but she'll see it as torture."

"Michonne and I can have her take us hunting." Carl suggested.

I nodded gratefully at the boy. "Please." I sighed. "Have her come here, I'll make sure she doesn't give you trouble."

I groaned as Maggie sterilized the area around the arrow. I could feel it shifting against my shoulder blade. I looked up when I heard the clumsy footsteps of my monkey. "Eleanor, we need squirrels." I informed her as she knelt down in front of me. When she started to shake her head and point towards our supply room I cut her off. "We need a lot of squirrels. More than what we've got. And opossums too. I want some of your famous gumbo for dinner tonight."

She glowered at me, knowing full well what my game was.

"Please Froggy. Take Carl and Michonne with you. And be nice." I made eye contact with her. "These are nice people."

She pointed at the arrow protruding from my back.

"They're nice people with bad aim." I amended grinning when I heard Daryl grunt from behind me. "Be nice and keep them safe."

She finally nodded and leaned down to kiss my forehead. Eleanor Blessing wasn't a touchy-feely kind of person. So it made moments like this even more endearing. She stood and waltzed out of the room.

When she was gone, I looked up at Michonne who was hovering in the doorway. "Keep her safe." I whispered to her. The warrior woman nodded, a ghost smile on her lips, before following my sister.

/

We gave the hunting party ten minutes before beginning the procedure. Glenn and Maggie soaked some rags in cold water and placed them around the area for a little bit, hoping to numb it. I knew it wouldn't do a whole lot.

Rick found some of dad's old rum in one of Ellie's boxes-a keepsake-and had me drink about half a bottle. I was tipsy by the time Daryl was ready.

"Okay, get ready to bite down." He muttered, as he straddled my waist and readied his knife. Abraham took a deep breath and grasped my hands in his. Carol placed the stick between my teeth and whispered words of comfort.

Suddenly I felt the searing pain of my flesh being torn open. I screamed around the branch and squeezed Abe's hands so hard I was afraid I'd break his fingers.

The blade was just making contact with bone when I blacked out.

/

The sun was setting when I woke up. Orange and Pink were painting the walls of the house. "Look who's up." Maggie greeted me with a warm smile as she placed a warm rag against my forehead. "How ya feelin'?"

"Like hell." My throat was as dry as my reply. "Eleanor?"

"Not back yet." She helped me sit up so I could take a sip of water. "They came by around lunch time with some squirrels, but had to go back out for the opossum. She came in and checked on you."

"I'm surprised she didn't examine the wound." I murmured.

"She wanted to, but Carol shoo'ed her off."

"And lived to tell the tale?"

Maggie laughed softly and shook her head. "I think she's a whole lot sweeter than she lets on, your sister." She said sincerely handing me some aspirin. "I mean she's just protective that's all."

"She's worse than a mama bear." I took the pills and sighed as I leaned back. "You'd think she's the older sister."

Any reply the other woman had, was cut off by some screams coming from outside.

"Dad! Dad!" Carl's frantic voice came as he scaled the ladder.

"What is it?" I heard Rick meet him at the main entrance. I pushed Maggie away as she tried to stop me from scrambling out of bed.

"It's Eleanor!"

"What about her?" I demanded, storming into the open area.

"She was bitten." The boy told me, a look of fear in his eyes.

I would have fainted right there on the spot if Ellie hadn't poked her head in at that moment. "Where were you bit?" Tyreese demanded, pulling her into the house and examining her.

Michonne came in as well. Her face drawn.

Eleanor squirmed out of the large man's grasp and hurried over to me. I pulled her into a hug, my eyes welled up. "What happened monkey?" I choked.

She shook her head as she pulled back. Pulling up her sleeve she showed me the teeth marks on her inner arm.

"Oh that." I sighed with a small laugh. "That happened a long time ago."

The group stared at us in shock.


	6. A Doe A deer A female deer

/8 Months Ago/

"_Ellie! Go grab some more nails!" Ida called from the makeshift scaffold we'd made out of suspended ropes and boards. I hurried over to the toolbox and grabbed a handful of nails and scaled the tree to hand them to her. "Please be careful Froggy." My older sister sighed. She was almost always exasperated by me as of lately. _

_I ignored her and slid back down to work on the rope ladder. I didn't need it, but Ida wasn't as good at climbing. I made sure to tie double and triple knots so my sister would be safe. _

_I heard the guttural noises before I saw the source. But I knew what it was from. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the screwdriver from the box. _

"_No! Ellie climb up here!" I heard Ida call out. But I knew I'd have to kill it. I knew it had to go. I scanned the dense woods until I saw it. _

_It was Mr. Lightfoot, my high school Chemistry teacher. He was always popping his gum and staring at girls' asses. Now his jaw was slack and his eyes were milky and gray. But he still had as much visual appeal as he did six years ago. Old pervert. _

_I ran up to him and stabbed the flathead right through his fathead. It was like stabbing an old pumpkin, only it smelt slightly worse. He dropped at my feet, staring up into the sky._

_I was just turning back towards the house when Adam Sweat, my sister's ex, charged out from the vines. I lurched backwards, but he grabbed my arm. It wasn't until he sunk his teeth into my arm that I screamed. I heard Ida call out for me as I stabbed Adam through the eye, again and again. _

"_Oh god." She grabbed my bleeding arm and examined the bite. _

_"I told you he was a dick." I murmured before headed back to camp. _

/2 Hours Ago/

As much as I hated bringing others hunting with me. Carl and Michonne made for good company. We even made it a competition to see who could kill more squirrels. In the end we got a total of twenty-three.

We took them back to the treehouse before we went searching for opossums. I peeked in at Ida. She was bandaged up and sleeping soundly. I moved forward to check on her but the bossy woman, Carol, grabbed my arm.

"She needs rest." She told me. "Go finish your hunt. She'll be awake soon."

In any other case, I would have smacked the woman for touching me. But I was exhausted. I needed to distract myself.

We walked deep into the woods. I knew of a deep ravine where I knew larger game roamed. "You ever talk?" Michonne asked me as I knelt down at the bottom of the hole to look for tracks.

I ignored her and stood up to look around. There was a deer nearby. I could see the hoof prints. I sniffed the air for the smell of its urine. Life became more charming after all of this started.

Carl was the one who finally spotted the deer.

It was a doe. A deer. A female deer.

It had a fawn. We let them be. Someone had to be civil in this uncivilized world.

I finally found a large opossum. It was a mean sucker. I chased it down and shot it through the head, but not before getting a nasty scratch on my wrist.

"You go all out don't ya?" Michonne chuckled as I brought my prize over to them. I cringed and rolled up my sleeve to examine the wound. It wasn't deep. But it bled like hell.

I went to wave them off, assure them I was fine. But both of their eyes were glued to my arm. I knew immediately what got their attention.

/Right Now/

"Is that from a walker?" Daryl demanded pointing at the scar accusingly and taking his bow out. Ida pushed herself in front of me.

"It's from an old friend of ours." She avoided the truth not so gracefully.

"Were they dead when they gave it to her?" Rick edged closer to us, his knife raised.

I stepped away from my sister and nodded. "It happened months ago." Ida defended me. "We cleaned it and cauterized it. She didn't catch it."

"That doesn't matter!" Daryl snapped. "Gotta cut the limb off if you want to keep it from spreading!" He charged over and took my arm in his filthy hands.

"Well we didn't know that." Ida slapped him away. "Besides, he must not have bitten too deep, she's fine." She looked to Abraham for help, but even the Ginger Behemoth seemed afraid.

"She's obviously not a walker. So maybe we should all take it easy for a minute." Glenn reasoned, stepping between us and the others. The group began to relax.

"I've got something easier for you to do." Ida's voice shook with rage. "Leave. If you think she's a threat. But you will not raise another weapon at her!"

"Let's just talk." Maggie pleaded. "I think we can all help each other. We just need to work it out." I grabbed Ida's arm and pulled her towards the sitting area.

The others followed us. I was the only one to sit down. Ida placed herself behind me, one hand on my shoulder and the other on her knife. She was ready to take them out if necessary.

"Why don't you start of by telling us what happened?" Tyreese suggested calmly.

"We don't owe you an explanation." My sister no longer had kind feelings towards this group. I couldn't help but grin at her snappy tone.

"We're not demanding that you do anything." Rick pointed out. "We're just wondering."

I looked up at her and nodded. What did it matter? I knew I was fine. She knew I was fine. What does it matter what they thing?

"Back when we first moved out here, Ellie was bitten." She explained slowly. "It wasn't too hard, he didn't tear off any flesh she just bled some. We cleaned the sound with alcohol and burned it to close it up some and further the sterilization. We wrapped it up with some Neosporin and that was that. She didn't get sick. The wound healed quickly. That scar is the only reminder!"

"How is that possible?" Maggie demanded.

"I don't know and I don't care." Ida growled. "My sister is alive and well. That's all that matters."

"She's an anomaly." Eugene informed them. "She must have something written into her genetic code. She's immune."

"No shit." Daryl muttered looking at me with suspicion. "You have any urges to eat any of us?"

I didn't dignify him with an answer.

"Daryl." Sasha sigh as she knelt down in front of me. "Listen, I'm sorry we all freaked out. But you have to understand what we've seen. We've had to put people down with bites not much different than your own."

"After how long?" Ida's voice trembled.

"Not long." Sasha assured her. "A couple of days at the most."

"Well. Good." My sister sniffed and walked into the kitchen. "I'm feeling much better now. You guys should get back on the road while there's still daylight.

The group took the hint and began to gather their belongings again. "No!" Eugene stopped them. "You have to come with us!" It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

"Are you out of your mind?" Ida had to laugh. "We're not going anywhere!"

"She could be the key." The doctor told us. "She's sitting here healthy and pink after getting bitten. How are we not freaking out right now?"

"She has a strong immune system." Ida knew it was a dumb reply. But she really didn't want to go. Neither did I.

"This isn't a matter of her immune system. She's a medical marvel!" Eugene's voice grew louder. "With her blood, we can figure out a way to beat this thing!"

"Beat it?" Ida scoffed. "Look outside! Look at the streets! Our town! We've already been beaten!"

"Please." Eugene begged. He looked like a puppy deprived of his favorite chew toy. "This could be our best chance." I don't know what the hell happened to me. But I felt something in my click.

I looked up at Ida and sighed. "Let's go."


	7. A Shitty Little Place Called Home

When Eleanor was five, she saw a tiger stuffed animal in the drugstore. We had fallen on hard times that year so mother was being rather stingy with money. So when her little monkey asked for the striped toy, she was forced to say no. Ellie didn't ask for much, but she asked every day for that damn tiger. When verbal requests were getting her nowhere, she decided to go on a hunger strike.

For two days she ate nothing. She drank nothing. Father even tried to force feed her but it was to no avail. Froggy had a strong jaw.

Finally after a trip to the hospital and three IV bags, they got her the toy.

I knew from that point on that if that kid wanted anything, you sure as hell better give it to her.

So we joined the large group on their journey.

Our first stop was town square. The hunting lodge and artillery shop were bound to have ammunition still. There were only about five hundred people in Castle Mills, and Ellie and I have already seen a at least half of them perish. So obviously they weren't using the guns.

"This looks like it was once a mighty fine place." Tyreese told us as we reached the middle of Main Street. I had to laugh as I tried to see what it was that he saw.

"The end of the world is doing wonders for it then." I muttered before shrugging. "It was a conservative, shitty little place, but it was home." I looked at Ellie who gave me a small smirk. She'd hated it here too. She was happy when we got to live in her trees.

"Damn! Were you huntin' people?" Daryl asked factiously as we climbed the large stone steps leading up to the hunting lodge.

The men of our town and all of the neighboring towns gathered in the large building on weekends, discussing their great kills, before going into the dense forrest to kill some more. It was the grandest place for miles.

"The gun room is through the first door on you right!" I called ahead as Rick broke the lock and cautiously opened the door. I could hear him and Daryl exclaim when they saw the massive room. Mr. Schweizer, the proprietor of the lodge, kept it stocked at all times. He made sure that our county had the biggest and the best guns to kill the biggest bucks and hogs.

To hell with our impoverished town, look how many points Jeff Conway took down last fall.

"This place would have been me and Merle's wet dream!" Daryl howled taking an armful of rifles and shoving them in a duffel bag.

I cringed at his vulgarity and found the keys to the ammo closet-under the ceramic squirrel by the front door-and handed them to Rick. "Looks like the geniuses of the town forgot this place existed." I murmured.

"Well if we come across them, we'll be sure to thank them!" Sasha chuckled as she pocketed a couple of pocket knives.

"Doubt we'll be seeing anyone any time soon." I grabbed a spear gun from the rack and handed it to Eleanor. She beamed like she'd just received a Christmas gift. I made sure to get us a few guns and bullets as well. We'd have our own supply between us.

"There's a kitchen." I told Maggie and Carol. "There should be rations in there, for camping and hiking." I nodded for them to follow me. I grabbed a hiking backpack from one of the side rooms on our way to the kitchen. We were going to fill up with as much as possible.

/

"Is there a school bus anywhere that we can jack?" Abraham asked me as we headed back into the street.

"Everyone walked to school." I told him regretfully, trying to think of any other option. "There was a Catholic family in town. Had about eight or so kids. They drove a giant van around. Ellie! Where did Matty Albritton live?" I called back to my sister.

I could see her try to get her bearings as to where we were. We had been gone for so long, the town seemed foreign to us now. Finally she pointed to her left towards the upperclass neighborhood.

"Mattie was Eleanor's boyfriend." I teased her with a wink. She flipped me off with a scowl, so I amended, "No, but he was a friend. Maybe he'll be there. It looks almost untouched." I tried to be reassuring, hopeful. We both knew everyone was gone.

"Ellie, you take them there, I'm going to go by the clinic and get some first aid supplies." I nodded at her when she furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't want to be separated again. "It's okay Froggy! I'll be right there! We just need to save time."

"I'll go with her." Michonne told her with a small smile.

"Me too." Daryl added.

While she looked comforted by Michonne's offer, Ellie cringed when the archer stepped up. I chuckled and waved her off. "He won't shoot me again. No man is that stupid."

Daryl scoffed with a nod.

Finally, she relented and jerked her head for the group to follow her. I blew her a kiss before she turned to head down the road.

/

"How's your arm feeling?" Michonne asked me as I emptied Dr. Wreathing's control substance cabinet into my backpack.

"Not amazing." I tried to laugh it off. "But I've had worse."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Hunting with my dad growing up. Working on the farm. Climbing after my little sister. I've had my share of broken bones and stitches." I smiled fondly at the memories.

We grabbed some bandages and a few more necessities before heading out.

"Here." I heard Daryl say gruffly. I looked up to see him holding out a navy blue sling. "This should help you keep your arm...you know...immobile and stuff." He tried to pass it off as nothing.

I smiled and took the gift. "Thank you Daryl, that's so kind of you."

"Yeah...was...nothin'." He swatted at some imaginary bugs as he sauntered off. I smiled at Michonne who was shaking her head and chuckling.

/

We heard the snarls and the shouts as we approached the neighborhood. I nearly dropped my pack when I broke out into a run to see where it was coming from.

At the end of the road, we found the group. Walkers were fallen around their feet. My Ellie was knelt over Mattie Albritton with her knife buried in his skull. When we approached, I could see she was shaking.

"Ellie, you okay?" I breathed. The group looked startled, frightened of the Monkey. I tried to read their expressions, see what they saw. I knelt down in front of her and grabbed her shoulder.

She didn't startle. She just looked up at me.

She had tears in her eyes.


	8. Nearer My God to Thee

"_She ain't got time for datin' boy!" Sam's dirty voice could be heard clearly from my bedroom. I crept into the doorway and peered over the railing into the foyer to see Mattie standing in front of my slobbish step father. _

_"I'm not looking to date her sir, I was just wanting to see if..."_

_"Yeah I know what you want to see you filthy pervert. Now shoo!" Sam pushed him backwards. I ran down stairs and grabbed his arm before he could slam it in my friends face. "Did I call for you, you little ape?" He growled shoving me back against the bannister of the staircase._

_I decided that Mattie wasn't worth the effort. Not today at least. I gave him a small wave and turned to run up the stairs. Once I got to the safety of my room, I climbed out my window to the safety of my tree. I stretched out in my hammock and watched Mattie Albritton trudge down the dirt road leading back to town._

/

"Ellie, come on." Ida called out to me. "It's okay. Let's get going!"

I took a breath and removed the knife from Mattie's skull. Slowly reality creeped back in like a vignette picture. I nodded and slowly stood up. After a moment of eye contact, she knew I was back with her.

"That sure did have a shit ton of kids!" Abraham muttered dragging Mrs. Albritton out of the driveway and onto the lawn next to her oldest son. "Not my first time puttin' down little biters, but it never gets easier."

I heard Ida gasp as she surveyed the six children, ages ranging from sixteen all the way down to five, scattered across the once so pristine lawn. The strict parents had once yelled at me and Mattie for making a tarp into a slip-N-slide on their brand new Bermuda Sod, and now their guts and brains were seeing into the grass like melting ice cream into birthday cake.

"Where's the baby?" Ida's voice shook. That jolted me into action again.

Little Noah had just been born two months before all hell broke loose. He had to be somewhere. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe...

I bolted into the house without a second thought. I heard a snarl to my left as I dashed through the living room. I only looked long enough to realize that it was Mr. Albritton, before stabbing him through the eye.

The nursery was at the end of the hall.

A shelf and a few chairs were pushed in front of the door.

"Ellie!" Ida came up behind me. A few footsteps accompanied her own. She helped me in moving the furniture, before we opened the door.

Like a missing scene from Rosemary's Baby, a crib sat eerily on the either side of the room, right under the window. I felt Ida grasp my shoulder as we walked slowly over to it. I took a deep breath before straining to look inside.

What we saw was revolting.

/

"Which way leads out of town?" Abe asked as we all loaded into the large van. Some of the men had to sit on the aisle along the side of the three bench seats, and Maggie was practically in Glenn's lap, but we all fit.

"Take a left when we pull out of the neighborhood." Ida instructed, holding my hand tightly. She seemed to be afraid that I'd do something drastic if she let go.

We sat on the front bench so we could help with navigation. I leaned my head against the window and stared at what was left of our town as we drove away from it. It had always disgusted me before, but now I was sad to see it go.

"What the hell?" Daryl's voice came from over our shoulders. I spared him a glance before moving to look out the front windshield.

Tanks.

Tanks and armored vehicles lined the exit of Castle Mills.

Surrounding them were bodies. Bodies of civilians and soldiers.

Abe stopped the van and jumped out to examine the scene. Of course, we all followed him.

The first person I saw was Mr. Lierman, the organ player from church. He was still wearing his sweater vest as he laid staring sightlessly up at the sky. I knelt down next to him, and picked up the bifocals lying on the asphalt beside him.

I placed the broken glasses back on bridge of his rotten nose. He could never play 'Nearer My God to Thee' properly without them. I stared at him for a good ten minutes before I realized what was wrong with him.

Sure there was a bullet wound in his head, but why?

I searched his entire disgusting body. Nothing.

I quickly crawled over to Abby Gleason, the girl who always made fun of my pale skin, and searched her also. Same thing.

I went to one body after the other, finding the same result with each one.

"What is she doing?" Tyreese asked quietly.

"They're people." I muttered, pointing at our fallen neighbors. "People. They're people." Ida walked over to me and pushed my hair back.

"Sweetie, go lay down in the van. You've had a bit of a shock." She said soothingly. Her voice was exhausted, she needed a nap herself.

"No! They're people!" I insisted. "They shot people! They killed people!"

"She's right." Rick called out from the ditch to the side of us. We followed his gaze. A line of men and women were lying face down in the mud. Flies surrounded their decaying corpses. "They're rotten. But they're not walkers." He informed us.

"They killed them for no reason?" Maggie asked.

"There has to be a reason. Soldiers don't just kill people for no reason." Abraham defended.

Well, we found the Jarhead.

Michonne chuckled and shook her head, obviously biting back a response.

While everyone was discussing their theories, I walked over to the dead soldiers. They were Walkers when they perished, but they were wounded with bullets, not bites. The 'no man left behind' thing didn't apply anymore it seems. I climbed up on to a tank to see what they were blocking.

I looked back to see Michonne staring up at my curiously. I nodded for her to come up. She quickly followed my lead. Once she was on top she couldn't help but gasp.

"What the hell?"

I grimaced and pulled my knees up to my chin.

There were thousands of bodies.

Human bodies.

Lining the road.

All in lines.


	9. Running From The Dark

**Fifteen Years Ago**

_Ruthie Blessing was just walking onto the front porch when she saw her two girls walking down the dirt road towards their house. She sighed and hurried down the steps to put her duffle bag in the bed of the truck before walking over to meet them._

_"Mom!" Ida, her beautiful angel smiled nervously at her when she noticed she was wearing her Ceremonial Uniform. "What's going on?"_

_"I'm heading up to DC for a few days. Apparently there's some kind of situation, they need all hands on deck." She kissed her oldest's forehead before pinching Ellie's cheek. "You two behave."_

_"You're retired!" Ida argued. She was sixteen, it's what she did best. "Why do they need you?" _

_"They didn't say a lot over the phone darling, but they did say it was quite urgent." Ruthie picked Eleanor up and hugged her tight, even if the child didn't return the embrace. "Please don't climb too much little monkey. Make sure sissy or Uncle are around if you do."_

_She ignored the seven year old shaking her head as she set her down. "Ida, come with me." She led the fidgeting teen away from her little sister. "Please take care of your sister."_

"_Mom, of course I will…but what's happening?" Ida demanded, rolling her eyes when she saw that Ellie was already bee-lining for the oak by the house. _

_"I'll let you know when I get there." Ruthie was in a rush. "Honey, make sure you two stay safe." She wiped away a tear._

_"What's wrong?" Ida demanded. Her mother never cried._

_"Don't ask me now! Please! Just do as I say!" The Sergeant shook her daughter's shoulders. "No matter what happens, I need to know my babies are okay!"_

_"What's going to happen? Can't we go with you?"_

_"No! It might not be safe!" _

_"You're scaring me!" Ida looked over at Ellie who had settled halfway up the tree and was now watching them. _

_"Good! I need you to stay that way! If something…someone seems off…run!"_

/

**Present**

I was glad that my sister stayed silent as I pulled her behind me through the woods. I didn't want them to find us. Finally, I found a tree with low hanging branches. I wasn't the expert climber that monkey was, but given the opportunity, I could make due.

I let Ellie lead the way as we ascended the Red Oak. We'd nearly made it to the top when we heard their approach. "Ida! Eleanor! Please!" Abraham called out.

"Stay away!" I shouted, situating myself on a sturdy branch next to Ellie and pulling her close. "We aren't coming with you! There's no use trying to change our minds." My sister nodded, to show that she agreed with me. I was grateful for this. There's was no winning when the Froggy was set on something.

"It's just a few bodies." Rick gestured back towards the highway. "What changed?"

"They were bodies of people. Not walkers!" I argued. "Those soldiers killed people! Those soldiers who work for the government who they want to take us to!" I pointed accusingly at Eugene.

"There had to be a reason for it!" Glenn didn't even sound convinced by his own words.

"Reasons be damned, I'm not leading my sister out there to be their guinea pig!" I gripped her arm tightly.

"They won't harm her!" Eugene insisted. "She's our way out of this whole thing! She'll be treated like royalty!"

"I call bullshit!" I sing-songed, pulling my knees to my chest. "Go away! We're going back to our house!"

"Please!" Carol called out. "This is our last hope! They're good people. They have to be! What other choice do we have?"

"Some of the soldiers went a little crazy I'll admit." Abraham sighed, leaning against the base of the tree and looking up at me. "I've seen it myself. But, some soldiers want to help. It's just like regular people! Some have gone apeshit, some haven't. We just gotta learn to trust some of 'em!"

"Trust who you want!" I shrugged and turned away from the man I had been falling for over the past few days. "You know where to find us when you fix everybody!"

The group seemed to simultaneously slump as one by one, they started to walk away. Everyone except Abraham.

"I'm not leaving without you!" He insisted. "If you won't come down, I'll come up!" He hoisted himself up on the lowest branch as if to prove a point. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. The giant would break more than half the branches if he tried.

"I'm going to go down and knock him out." I told Ellie. "You run for the house as fast as you can. I'll meet you there!" I moved to step down, but she grabbed my arm. Her face was resigned as she shook her head.

"Mom." She whispered. "Maybe we'll see mom."

"She's not in DC. She's wherever the hell she ran off to!" I argued. This wasn't the time to open that can of worms. Eleanor had never given up hope that our mother had been kept from coming home. She refused to believe that she had stayed away by choice.

For all I knew, she was dead and half eaten in a ditch somewhere.

Eleanor bit her lip and sighed. "We have to go." Her shoulders slumped, she really didn't want to give in. "We have to do something besides hide in a tree. They're right, maybe we can stop this."

Before I could say anything, she climbed down to relieve Abe. I leaned my head back against the tree and let out a long breath before I followed after her. Who would have thought that Ellie would be the voice of reason?

/

The group was relieved to see us return with Abe. I accepted an awkward hug from Eugene who was babbling about how we wouldn't regret this. I shook my head as I followed Ellie into the van.

"We'll protect her." Maggie promised me once we were on the road. They drove through a field until they found the road to be corpse free. "I know that doesn't mean a lot coming from strangers, but believe me when I say, we won't let anything happen to her."

I looked at my Monkey, she was leaning against the window sleeping like a baby. "I want to believe you." I murmured. "She's all I have left. She's all I've ever had really."

Maggie smiled, a small sad smile. "I had a sister." She confided. "Her and my father were all I had for a while."

She didn't need to say what happened to her family. I knew. It didn't make our decision easier. But it helped me to trust our companions a little more.

"Do you remember when you were a child," I began as I leaned my head back against the seat. "When you'd turn off all of the lights downstairs, and your house was completely dark, but you'd still have to get to your room. Remember that feeling you get in your stomach when you run up the stairs? That's how I've felt since this whole thing started. Just a hamster wheel, going non-stop in my gut." I rolled my head to look at Maggie. She nodded, as if she actually agreed with me.

"There are days when we would just run from sunrise to sunset." She grasped Glenn's hand. "Sometimes my stomach felt like it was going to just drop out of me. It's…almost a welcome feeling now."

I didn't reply. I just wanted to sleep. I leaned down and rested my head on Ellie's shoulder, hoping the steady motion of Abe's driving would lull me to sleep.


End file.
